Homebrew Barbegazi Species Details
“Jenteg, maybe next time we take the lower route,” said Joruk as the frost overtook the last part of his beard. "This will be just fine," Jenteg responded, grinning. As they reached the top of the mountain, Jenteg looked at Jorug and said, "this route is much quicker," as he jumped off the ledge and began skiing down the mountain on his long padded feet. "That's just fine!" shouted Jorug, "but what about the rocks at the bottom of the mountain?"
Known as "the hardiest people in the world", Barbegazi will not let any environment prevent them from living, and experiencing joy. Their fierce sense of independence, combined with their ingenuity and ability to find humor in every circumstance, make the Barbegazi essential companions in any artic journey.
Small and Hardy
Shorter than dwarves but taller than gnomes, the Barbegazi have only survived because they took the hardiest qualities from their dwarven and gnomish ancestors. Able to withstand just about any temperature, and to lower their body temperature to a point of near death to survive ice and snow, the Barbegazi are descendants of the only survivors of an ancient settlement of dwarves and gnomes.
Barbegazi skin is almost always a pale white tinged with red. Their hair, worn long and free is hardly ever cut, and is almost always a silvery white, making many Barbegazi look much older than they are. Male Barbegazi grow very long beards, which often reach almost all the way to their feet. Many say that the length of a Barbegazi beard is the only way to tell how old they really are.
Long-Lived, Short Memories
Much like their dwarven cousins, Barbegazi can grow to be over 500 years old, although they don't really keep track of age like other races. Unlike their dwarven cousins, their memories do not hold through the ages. Barbegazi culture is a shifting, unpredictable culture, like the avalanches they love to ride. Because of this, they hardly remember any traditions of their ancestors and generally make new traditions up each time they forget.
This also gives them a certain joy for life, which dwarves often lack. They see the humor in everything and often like to joke with travelers through their arctic regions. That being said, they are incredibly kindhearted, and would never intentionally cause harm to another living creature. Before causing avalanches, they always give a low-pitched whistle to warn any creatures below. And if anyone is trapped they will gather in groups to dig them out.
Settlements and Icework
Barbegazi settlements generally fan out like veins beneath glaciers. They are surprisingly lavish, as the Barbegazi are creative, and have learned ways to work ice like the dwarves can work gems and metals. They have no need for money, so Barbegazi settlements generally share everything they have, including arctic beasts which they tame and use for traveling and hunting. In their efforts to master the arctic, ancient Barbegazi also bred certain plants which can grow out of the ice, and are nutritionally rich. To other species these might taste bland, and tough, but to the Barbegazi their tjor (edible arctic leaves) are a delicacy. Their settlements are generally run communally, or by a council of elders (depending on preference).
The first Barbegazi were the descendants of great dwarven metalworkers but found themselves without metal or gemstones in the frigid landscape. They learned to manipulate ice the way that their ancestors had manipulated metal, even turning it into strong weapons and armor, as well as beautiful colored sculptures which they displayed in their settlements. Barbegazi weapons and armor are as strong as metal, but can only be used in frigid temperatures, otherwise, they weaken and melt.
Gods, Glaciers, and Giants
The Barbegazi have their own deities, which they celebrate once a year in the Festival of the Glacier. Their deities are a trinity: Jormund, God of Glaciers, King of the Arctic, Westia, Goddess of Snow, and Grotir, God of Avalanches. They don't really pray to their deities, but instead see them as active parts of their daily life through the snow and rock that makes up their landscape.
Aside from their traditional deities, the Barbegazi have developed a high reverence for the glaciers in which they live, which borders on worship. They see glaciers as their loving mothers, who house them and protect them from dangers. Their settlements are often called Glacierwomben, in honor of the special place that glaciers play in their lives.
Having spent so much time in the arctic, the Barbegazi are also familiar with Frost Giants, who they see as giant brothers of the glacier. They don't worship them, but treat them with a distant reverence, trying hard not to disturb them or cause them trouble with their avalanches. Many believe this was a survival technique of the early Barbegazi: if you don't bite a Frost Giant, you won't get Frostbitten.
Barbegazi Names
A Barbegazi's name is "given by the snow or rock" When a Barbegazi hears a whisper in the snow or a shout from an avalanche at a young age, they take it as a name. Sometimes this makes perfect sense, but sometimes it just makes their names very strange sounding. They do not differentiate names between male and female.
Avalanche Names: Jenteg, Jorug, Rinjug, Trajlmak, Chkchk, Jlictik
Snow Names: Fross, Shentai, Joss, Shhiel, Sssai, Wsss
Barbegazi Traits
Your Barbegazi character has an assortment of inborn abilities, shared with all Bargegazi.Ability Score Increase
Your Constitution score increases by 2.
Age
Barbegazi mature by the age of 15, and are often indistinguishable from each other after that age except for the length of their beards. They can live well into their 500s.
Alignment
Most Barbegazi are chaotic, enjoying humor and taking chances in avalanches and glaciers. They tend toward good or neutral as well, with generally kind hearts, and a sense of caring for other species, despite keeping their distance.
Size
Dwarves stand between 3 and 4 feet tall and average about 100 pounds. Your size is Small.
Speed
Your base walking speed is 25 feet. You can increase your speed up to 40 feet when using your feet to ski on the snow.
Darkvision
Accustomed to life underground, you have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
Cold Proficiency
You gain advantage on saving throws involving cold.
Icecunning
Whenever you make an Intelligence (History) check related to the origin of an object made of ice, you are considered proficient in the History skill and add double your proficiency bonus to the check, instead of your normal proficiency bonus.
Languages
You can speak, read, and write Common and Dwarvish. Dwarvish is full of hard consonants and guttural sounds, and those characteristics spill over into whatever other language a dwarf might speak.
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